After Priyanka Chopra, Irrfan Khan, Om Puri and Anil Kapoor, southern star Dhanush has become the latest Indian actor who will star in a Hollywood project.
He will make his debut in the West through upcoming film “The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir Who Got Trapped In An Ikea Cupboard,” which also stars “Kill Bill” actress Uma Thurman.
Dhanush is a popular actor in India, and he has worked in both Bollywood and the southern film industry. His last Hindi release was "Shamitabh" in which he starred with Indian cinematic icon Amitabh Bachchan.
"The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir", directed by Iranian-French director Marjane Satrapi, will also see “Bandit Queen” actress Seema Biswas, reports variety.com.
Apart from them, the film, which will be shot in Paris, Rome, Jodhpur and Casablanca, will also feature Alexandra Daddario, Barkhad Abdi and Laurent Lafitte.
The film will mark the most ambitious project undertaken by Satrapi, who earlier helmed films like “Persepolis” and “Chicken With Plums”.
Satrapi made her English language debut with “The Voices” starring Ryan Reynolds.
“The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir” is a comedy adventure tale based on Romain Puertolas’s bestselling debut novel “The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir Who Got Trapped In An Ikea Wardrobe” which came out in 2014 and has been translated into 35 languages.
The novel relates the pilgrimage of a con man from India to an IKEA in Paris which turns into a philosophical odyssey.
The film will follow his journey from New Delhi to Paris where he falls in love with a woman and accidentally gets deported along with a band of African refugees to the far corners of Europe against his will.
“It’s a story about love, magic and adventure and it takes place across three continents. I’m drawn to fantasy stories and I love creating worlds that don’t exist, imagining things in bigger and more beautiful ways,” Satrapi said.
The shooting of the film will begin in June.